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Monday, January 26, 2015

Press release for the forthcoming release "Sundogs" by Cabrini Green and HB3:

A study in electronic prog with a touch of
ghettotech. Lyrically inspired by a variety of cultural touchstones
from the past 40 or so years. The players are Nathan Green, lead vocals
and also responsible for the dope beats heard within, HB3, the West
Coast bass-playing wunderkind, and the mysterious yet alluring
Peppermint, who provides backup vocals that are a little bit sweet, a
little bit spicy, and 100 % trill. The tracks are as follows:

Sundogs: A musical romp through the desert southwest with a detour
through the ghettos and favelas of the mind. Think of it as an old west
crime noir with hints of the great class struggle. The celebration of
wealth is a lie that divides. Today’s baller/shot-caller begets
tomorrow’s pauper/food stamp-shopper. The music takes us to strange
vistas where one can view the elusive sundogs upon every setting sun.
The haunting vocal refrain reminds us that deep down we are all sundogs.

Electric Soul: What on the surface appears to be yet another textbook
example of hip-hop braggadocio reveals on closer inspection an
exploration of reincarnation and the nature of existence not to mention a
tip of the hat to the “witch-house” phenomena and world-famous
ice-cream-cone-loving rapper Gucci Mane. Besides, what aspiring young
buck hasn’t dreamed of being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame? Perhaps this is the very track that will take Cabrini and HB3 to
those hallowed halls. It certainly looks good on the old musical CV and
hey if Green Day can make it, who knows?

Biscuits and Hazy:
Documents a typical day in the life of Cabrini. A mellow morning and a
lazy afternoon by the pool. Days and nights spent rocking out at the
various music festivals and events that take place in the
self-proclaimed live music capital of the world. Plus a trip to the
mother ship to take a dip in the galactic funk, that magical æther that
formed the universe out of dust and nothing. All set to the backing of
HB3’s space age bass madness.

Can U Fill It?: A certified club
banger for the dance hall of the mind. More than just your typical
“dis” track where an unnamed protagonist is taken down a peg, more than
yet another pæn to the benefits of cannabis, “Can U Fill It?” raises
some pertinent existential questions while referencing 8-bit video
games, obscure PC function-key shortcuts, and the reproductive habits of
certain reggae superstars. Who among us can fill it indeed?

Sunshine Lollipops: Inspiration often comes from the strangest places.
This track originated out of a jam session with Austin’s number one
improv/experimental collective, Ouiness. The lyrics were developed from
this kernel of inspirado and address a wide-range of subject matter
from meteorological phenomena to religious pluralism. Peppermint
contributes ethereal vocals reminiscent of the best of the goth and
shoegaze traditions while HB3 delivers one of his most concise basslines
which intertwines flawlessly with the layered snare drum samples. This
track has lead single written all over it.

Stanley Pastorius:
Following up “Sunshine Lollipops” is a tall order indeed but if any
track can do it this one can. Veering into prog-rock territory, the
music on this one incorporates in-your-face keyboard riffs, swirling
harmonica sounds, and a contemplative keyboard breakdown segment.
Lyrically, this track tells the tale of one Stanley Pastorius, the
kangol-wearing alter ego of HB3, whose prodigious talent with the bass
guitar is matched only by his outsized ego, unwillingness to compromise,
and appetite for excess. From Olympian highs to Stygian lows, the life
of Stanley runs the full gamut of the music biz from industry
recognition to the televised humiliation of losing on an 80’s game show
in front of a live studio audience. The music industry is hard, indeed,
but we think ol’ Stanley has a comeback in him yet.

Notes and addendum by HB3:

The
approach I took when recording the bass parts for our first
collaboration, "Real Sh!t," in 2011, was to play the first thing off the
top of my head, totally improvised, perhaps listening to Nathan's drum
track once -- if at all. Whatever I played, well,
that was the song. I wanted to keep some of that approach this time,
so, I followed the same practice on "Electric Soul" and "Can U Fill It?"
Those tracks are what happened when I plugged in and hit "record."

For
the other tracks, I changed it up a bit. I wrote the music for the
title track from scratch, composed and revised the bass parts for
"Biscuits & Hazy" and "Sunshine Lollipops," and finally wrote the
music for "Stanley Pastorius," using a Nathan beat for the middle
section.

I
alternate styles and tones from track to track, embodying the character
"Stanley Pastorius," an amalgamation of the bassists Stanley Clarke and
Jaco Pastorius.

Tracks 1 and 3: fretless bass, Pastorius style.

Track 2, 4, and 5: fretted bass, Stanley style.

Track
6: both styles together, fretted through the verses, fretless in the
middle. During the fade, both instruments play together.